Posted by: admin on: November 9, 2011
Essential tremors pose embarrassment to those affected. American Neurological department recommends medications in mild cases and surgery in severe cases. Have a look as to what they have to say.
Team@CMHF
Essential tremor (ET) is the most common type of tremor and affects about 10 million Americans.
New treatment recommendations for a movement disorder were introduced this week by the American Neurological Association. Mild cases of ET might not need any treatment, although people might feel embarrassed about seeming shaky.
If these treatments don’t reduce the tremors, the guidelines suggest some other helpful alternatives. These include: two seizure drugs, gabapentin (Fanatrex, Gabarone, Horizant, Neurontin) or topiramate (Topamax, Topiragen); two other high blood pressure medications, atenolol (Senormin,Tenormin) or sotalol (Betapace, Sorine); or the anxiety drug alprazolam (Niravam, Xanax).
“More and better research is needed since not all people with essential tremor benefit from these drugs,” says guidelines researcher Theresa A. Zesiewicz, MD, a neurologist at the University of South Florida Health in Tampa.
When people are not benefiting from medication, the guidelines call for doctors to consider surgical therapy as an option. Deep brain stimulation of the part of brain called the thalamus can be performed for severe tremors. The procedure involves implanting an electrical device in the brain.
A second surgical procedure, called unilateral thalamotomy, can also be performed on the thalamus area of the brain. This procedure has been shown to reduce tremors.
Ref: http://www.webmd.com/brain/news/20111019/new-guidelines-for-treating-essential-tremor
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